Kail-joint



W. SCOTT.-

RAIL JOINT.

' APPLICATION HLED ms. 1. 19I6.

Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

2 $HEETS-SHEET 1.

WHIHI IIH WW W. SCOTT.

RAIL JOINT. APPLICATION FILED FEB. I. 1916.

1,195,406. W Patented Aug. 22, 1916. i

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

T1 Elsi- TETEI-IE'Z @FFICE.

RAIL-JOINT.

Application filed February 2, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM Scorrr, a citizen of the United States,residing at IVarrior, in the county of J efferson and State of Alabama,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints; and Ido declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same. i

This invention relates to improvements in rail joints, and has for itsobject the produc tion of a simple and effective joint, and one whichcan be very inexpensively manufactured.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this characterembodying such features that the joint may bemaole rigid and all partspositively locked against separation. 7

Still another object of the invention is to provide asimply constructeddevice of this character which can be quickly and easily secured to themeeting ends of a pair of rails.

With the foregoing and many minor objects in view, the invention residesin the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement ofparts whlchwill here:

inafter be more particularly describedand claimed and shown in thedrawings where-' Figure 1 is a plan view of one of my improved railjoints showing the meeting ends of a pair of rails held therein; Fig. 2is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a verticaltransverse section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a similarview showing the locking means in inopera tit e position; Fig. 5 is ahorizontal section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a similarView taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a perspective view ofthe rail chair with the locking means removed; Fig. 8 is a similar viewof one end of the rock shaft; and Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view ofthe wrench used in rotating the shaft shown in Fig. 8.

In its preferred embodiment, my invention comprises a chair 1 in whichthe ends of the rails'R are disposed, said chair cornprising a baseplate 2 which rests upon the ties and beneath the base of the rails.Rising from this base plate 2 are fish plates 3 which. extend upwardlyon opposite sides Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 22, 1916. Serial No. 75,525.

of the rails R and engage the under side of the head and the webthereof. These fish plates and the base plate 1 are preferably cast inone piece, thus providing an eX- tremely strong chair, but one which canbe very easily placed around the rails. In placing the chair in positionit is first slid onto one rail, and then the adjacent rail is moveduntil its end contacts with the end of the first-mentioned rail, whenthe chair can be moved in a direction to dispose it in engagement withboth rails.

The usual bolt receiving openings 4 in the webs of the rails aline withsimilar openlngs 5 in the fish plates for the reception of locking pinsor bolts 6. In the ordinary rails there are two bolt openings adjacenteach end; therefore in the chair I provide four openings to aline withthe openings in the abutting ends of the rails. I preferably providepins or bolts 6 which can be very readily inserted through the openings4 and 5, or easily removed therefrom when it becomes necessary todisengage the ends of the rails.

For the purpose of moving the pins 6 into and out of engagement with theopenings i, I provide a rock shaft 7 which is rotatably mounted inbearings 8 formed in the spaced apart ears 9, said ears projecting fromone of the fish plates as shown and are preferably integrally formedtherewith. The cars 9 are disposed at the opposite ends of the fishplate and support the ends of the rock shaft 7, one of said endsprojecting beyond "the adjacent ear and squared as shown at 10 toreceive a suitable wrench 10 for rotating the shaft. This shaft has theouter projecting ends of the pins (3 pivotally connected therewith byany preferred means so that when said shaft is rotated in the properdirection, the pins will either be simultaneously removed out ofoperative engagement with the openings in the web of therails, or movedin such a direction as to lock the ends of the rails and the chairtogether.

The means for pivotally connecting said rock shaft and the pins consistsin providing apertured lugs 11 which project at intervals from the shaft7 in alinement with the openings 5 in the fish plates. All of these lugs11 project in the same direction from the shaft 7 and are disposed tions12 of the bifurcated heads 13 formed on the ends of $1. 6 PillS 6, pivotpins 14 being between the furcapassed through the apertures in said lugsand through openings alined therewith in the furcations 12. The heads 13being considerably larger than the openings 5, they will contact withone fish plate and prevent the pins from being moved through theopenings 4 and 5 to such an extent as to cause the parts to bind.

One end of the rock shaft 7 is flattened as shown at 15 to provideparallel faces, and the ear 9 adjacent this flattened end is providedwith a slot 16 which communicates with the opening 8 therein as shown inthe drawings. hen the rock shaft has thrown the pins 6 into lockingengagement with the openings in the webs of the rails, the flattened endthereof will be disposed in' the slot 16 which also has parallel wallsand is of a size to readily receive the said flattened end, yet preventrotation thereof. This arrangement will prevent the pins from becomingaccidentally disengaged from the rails and positively lock all partsuntil the rock shaft is manually raised out of engagement with the slot16 and rotated.

The rock shaft has sufficient lateral movement to readily allow itsflattened end to successfully operate the pins when moved out of theslot and into the bearing opening 8. After the pins have been withdrawn,the shaft will be retained in the bearing opening until it is againrotated to throw the pins into their locked position.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have invented avery simply constructed rail joint formed from a chair upon which ismounted means for simultaneously projecting or retracting the lockingpins.

IVhile I have described the invention with a considerable amount ofdetail, it is obvious that various changes may be made in the form andproportion of the various parts without departing from or sacrificingany of the principles of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with the meeting ends of a pair of rails; of a chairhaving a plurality of openings alined with the openings in the rails,locking pins slidable through said openings, a rock shaft rotatablymounted on said chair, and a pivotal connection between said rock shaftand the pins, whereby the 'same may be thrown into or out of engagementwith said openings in the rails.

2. In combination with the meeting ends of a pair of rails; of a chairhaving a plurality of openings alined with the openings.

in the rails, locking pins slidable through said openings, bifurcatedheads on one end of said pins, a rock shaft rotatably mounted on saidchair, apertured lugs on said shaft Copies of this patent may beobtained for for pivotal engagement with said bifurcated heads, and akeeper for engagement with one end of said shaft to prevent rotationthereof.

3. In combination with the meeting ends of a pair of rails; of a chairhaving a plurality of openings alined with the openings in the rails,locking pins slidable through said openings, a rock shaft rotatablymounted on said chair, one end thereof being adapted to move laterally,a keeper adjacent one end of the shaft to receive the laterally movableend to prevent rotation thereof, and a pivotal connection between saidrock shaft and the pins, whereby the same may be thrown into or out of,engagementwith said rails.

4. In combination with the meeting ends of a pair of rails; of a chairhaving a. plurality of openings alined with the openings in the rails,locking pins slidable through said openings, a rock shaft having one endprovidedwith flat faces, a pair of spaced apart ears on one sideof saidchair, said ears having openings to rotatably receive said rock shaft,one of said openings communicating with a slot to normally receive theflattened end of the shaft to prevent rotation thereof, and a pivotalconnection between said shaft and the pins, said flattened end of said,shaft'being movable from said slot to allow rotation thereof to shiftsaid pins. 7 j V 5. In combination with the meeting ends of a pair ofrails; of a chair comprising; a pair of fish plates to embrace the weband the base of a rail, a base plate connected therewith, said fishplates having a plurality of openings alined with the openings in therails, locking pins slidable in said openings, bifurcated heads on oneend of said pins, a rock shaft having one end provided with flatparallel faces, apertured lugs projecting from said shaft anddisposedbetween the furcations of said heads and pivotally connected therewith,a pair of spaced apart ears on one side of said chair, said ears havingopenings to rotatably'receive said rock shaft,one of said openings inthe ears having a slot with parallel walls communicating therewith, theflat end of said shaft being normally disposed in said slot to preventrotation thereof, said flattened end being movable out of saidslot toallow rotation 'of the shaft.

In testimony whereof I have'he'reunto-set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

- WILLIAM SCOTT.

\Vitnesses:

E. S. ALLBRITTON, ELBERT Soorr.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington,D. G.

